Travels in Constants
by PfftTheMagicDragon
Summary: A set of drabbles in which Edward is obnoxious and Jasper is annoying. Edward/Jasper AH. 100 words a piece.
1. Chapter 1

Edward sighs with relief as he locks the shop door, reaching up to pull down the metal shutter.

"Wait!"

A man stops running a second too late, crashing into the closed door. He slaps his palms against the glass. "Please! I _have_ to get this book today, I'll be quick... please!"

Edward rolls his eyes. Amazing how often emergencies seem to happen. It can wait. It can always wait.

He takes one last look at the man. His curly hair is wild with the wind and his eyes are wide, pleading for mercy.

Edward rolls down the shutter, separating them.


	2. Chapter 2

"It's you."

"Yes, probably," Edward replies. The man with the windy hair and wide eyes looks down at him.

"You wouldn't open the door."

"No." Edward drains his coffee, folds his newspaper and stands. He chances a glance at the man. His face is open, he looks honest and welcoming. Edward frowns and turns to leave.

"Wait!"

"What?"

The man stumbles on his words before deciding on silence. He looks Edward in the eye and smiles.

Edward turns, avoiding the sparkling blue eyes that watch him carefully.

"I'm leaving."

The bell on the door jingles as it closes behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Is this your shop?" Windy Hair asks, leaning on the counter. Edward hands a receipt to a customer and thanks them.

"Yes." He turns away from the counter, peeling stickers and replacing them, trying to ignore the interruption to his morning.

"Do you live near here?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Edward sighs and turns around, challenging the interloper with raised eyebrows.

The other man shrugs, brushing off Edward's terseness. "I'm interested, that's all. What's your name?" He rests his chin on the heel of his hand.

"Go away."

"Are you always this obnoxious?"

"Yes."

The interloper smiles again.


	4. Chapter 4

Edward locks the shop doors and hands the keys over to Angela. "You'll call if there are any problems tomorrow?"

"Honestly, Edward! Everything will be fine. Enjoy your day off and I'll see you on Friday." He watches her walk down the street, twirling the keys in her hands. _Everything will be fine_, his internal voice repeats.

"So, it's _Edward_, is it?" comes the voice from behind him, making him jump. Hair man. Again.

Edward turns around. "Are you following me?"

The other man's laughter is throaty and rich.

"So what if I am, _Edward?"_

Edward turns and marches away.


	5. Chapter 5

Edward gets to the corner before being caught and bombarded with smiling eyes and probing questions. He stops in the middle of the pavement.

"What do you want?"

Windy Hair rolls his eyes and smiles in the face of adversity. "Isn't it obvious? I want to buy you a drink."

"I can buy my own drinks," Edward counters. He looks at the man, and sees a second of nervousness flit across his face.

"I know. But hey, it might be fun."

"Really?" Edward asks, a disbelieving tone in his voice.

"That, and I'm not stopping until you say yes."

"...Maybe."


	6. Chapter 6

"Who was that?" A woman asks, greeting Edward outside the movie theatre.

"Just some guy, he's been following me around."

"He's cute," she says, tipping her head to one side and watching Edward's face for clues.

"He's annoying."

Edward opens the door and ushers her inside the theatre, looking quickly back down the street.

"What does he want?" She asks. Edward grimaces, and realisation dawns. "Oh, I see! You should go out with him, have some fun. It might help this grumpy disposition thing you have going on."

"Alice..."

"Well okay, it probably won't. But it's worth a try, right?"


	7. Chapter 7

Edward eyes the shop door. It's nearly closing time and he feels a disappointment that he did not expect.

_He _hasn't been in today.

He reflects on his ridiculous behaviour. Watching for a nameless man that he doesn't even like.

"Yeah...right," he murmurs to himself.

"Who are you talking to?"

Edward fails to stop the encroaching smile at the appearance of the interloper. He looks down at the cash register and hides his fidgeting hands.

It's not windy today, but you wouldn't know it from his hair. Edward watches him stalk towards the desk and he looks almost...predatory.


	8. Chapter 8

Edward swallows, gathering his nerve and making a leap. "I don't know, who _am _I talking to?"

"Well, well, well," he drawls. "Are you asking my name, after all this time?"

Edward clenches his teeth at the teasing tone in the other man's voice.

"Maybe. No. Never mind."

"Oh, come on now Edward, where's your sense of fun? Do you even have one?"

The interloper doesn't fidget. Or blush. Or seem to have a lump in his throat. Edward fumes with jealousy.

"I'm Jasper, I run Whitlock's bar. If you're interested, you know where I am."

And he is gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Edward walks past the bar every day. He always did, he had just never noticed it before now. These days, it's all he can see. It seems to get bigger every day.

He doesn't go inside.

He runs the shop: he sells books, he restocks, he cleans shelves. The shelves have never been so clean. Unlike his mind, which replays the look in Jaspers eyes, over and over, any time he is idle.

So he keeps himself busy, until he can't any more, and then he calls Alice.

He knows what she will say, but he dials her number anyway.


	10. Chapter 10

Alice's words follow him for the next week.

"Take a leap, Edward." "Make the most of life, Edward." It was all positive and encouraging until she got tired and stepped things up a notch.

"Shit or get off the pot, Edward." Short and to the point.

She's chipper even when exasperated.

He's closing the shop when the decision is made. He locks the door and moves for the shutter as it happens.

A man tries to push the door. He knocks. And pleads for last minute mercy.

Edward stares. He has short hair and small eyes.

He thinks of Jasper.


	11. Chapter 11

Edward flips through the channels, staring into the middle distance as the programmes cycle round and round in front of him.

Emmett's voice booms from the kitchen, "you want a beer, Eddie boy?"

"Don't call me that. And no." He scowls as Emmett thumps down beside him. He reaches over and ruffles Edward's hair, laughing. "I see you're as cheerful as ever. What's up, EdPants?"

He sighs, "I'm procrastinating. Urgh, I need to go. Lock the door on your way out, okay?"

Emmett looks at him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Whitlock's. There's someone I need to see."


	12. Chapter 12

"Let's go out."

Edward blinks several times before managing to formulate a response. "What?" _Marvellous, _ he thinks to himself. _Very eloquent. Let's try that again. _"What?" _For fuck's sake. _He clamps his mouth shut, guarding against future verbal vomit.

"What, what, Edward?" Jasper is putting glasses away behind the bar, looking up at Edward every few seconds. "Don't you want to?" he pauses..."actually, don't answer that. Let's just go out."

"It's just..." Edward stumbles over his words. "I mean, it's been weeks. And you're happy to..._go out_?"

Jasper looks directly at him, his eyes dark and wanting.

"Yes."


	13. Chapter 13

Edward swallows as Jasper's words wash over him. No-one has _wanted_ him for such a long time. This man, this interloper, this annoying intruder into his life, this...Jasper.

Edward has worked to keep people away, to be alone.

But _this_ man.

He rubs his hand over the back of his neck and mentally repeats Jasper's _yes_.

And then he is hard.

He tries to surreptitiously adjust his cock and fails miserably. Jasper looks straight at his crotch and the corner of his mouth twitches in a smirk. He speaks.

"Tomorrow. Meet me here at 9. We're going to a gig."


	14. Chapter 14

They arrive late to find the band already playing, the crowd a swell of moving people, sweaty and loud. They find space near the back and absorb the atmosphere.

Edward is grateful for the noise, for the inability to make conversation. He can't hear himself think - let alone talk. The bass climbs, vibrating through his body until he can't feel anything else. Except...

Jasper's fingers.

Stroking his hand. Light, brief touches. Teasing, like Jasper. Edward keep his eyes forward, his posture rigid and jaw tense.

Jasper turns to him and leans in, his mouth against Edward's ear.

"Don't freak out."


	15. Chapter 15

"You're a tease," Edward says, pulling his arms around himself. The February wind nips at his skin. Gig goers filter around them as they wait for a taxi.

"Maybe."

"I don't think there's any _maybe_ about it." Edward's voice is sharp.

Jasper takes a deep breath. "Okay Edward, cards on the table. I like you. I've been aware of you for months. Running your shop, leaving alone at night. You don't like people, I get it. I'm trying not to scare you off, but this is who I am. You need to make a decision. Are you in, or out?"


	16. Chapter 16

A black cab pulls up, it's neon "For Hire" sign glowing through the drizzle starting to fall.

_In or out? _

Edward stands holding the door handle. The car idles. He waits for the thoughts to run through his mind. The pros, the cons, the conscience telling him what to do. He waits for the snark, effective at pushing people away. Nothing comes. He's on his own.

"Edward?" Jasper asks, his face expectant. Edward looks at the familiar eyes, the wild, curly hair. He used to think it was annoying.

He turns, opens the car door, and gets inside.

"Get in."


	17. Chapter 17

Edward stumbles into his apartment, pulling Jasper with him. The grand tour is skipped in favour of a direct route to the bedroom.

"Edward..." Jasper calls as he is led by his hand, but his words are cut short by Edward's lips on his.

He isn't tender, or gentle, or reticent. He's demanding with his kisses, with his tongue, and with his hands, immediately in Jasper's jeans.

"Fuck," is all Jasper can manage before he is pushed back against the door, his trousers round his knees. His head hits the wood and he looks down at Edward, on his knees.


	18. Chapter 18

He pulls Jasper's cock straight into his mouth, taking him as far as he can, stroking with his tongue. He sucks, firmly, and Jasper moans, loudly.

"Fucking fuck, Edward."

He steps it up and moves faster, up and down, cock touching his throat. He reaches though Jasper's legs, searching, before pressing a finger, then two, inside.

He swallows as Jasper's fingers grip his hair tightly, holding on for dear life.

Edward stands and looks at Jasper, panting against the door, face flushed. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, looks him in the eye and smiles.

"I'm in."

* * *

**A/N: And that concludes my very first set of drabbles. Thank you all so much for reading, for those of you that tweeted and recc'd, and for those that read and reviewed. You've amazed me. Massive thanks go to the talented writers and readers of the TSA for inspiring me to write in the first place. Love you all!**


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